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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26301301">Radiance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiixil_84/pseuds/chiixil_84'>chiixil_84</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>UCI [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Chronicles of Darkness - Fandom, Hunter: The Vigil, Mage: The Awakening, World of Darkness (Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Conversations, Established Relationship, Far Future, Future, Future Fic, Gen, I think?, Minor Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Relationship(s), Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Talking, Tea, alternate future?, thank god, they're enjoying a REALLY normal day for once</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:27:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,988</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26301301</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiixil_84/pseuds/chiixil_84</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, things don't happen the way you want them; the hunter and mage know that better than anyone, and have racked up quite the body count to prove it. Through twists and turns, they stumble and fail, barely making it to a safe place where they can finally unravel all their feelings about working together for the last few months.</p><p>Hopefully, Ellie won't get too tongue-tied and can actually explain why she dragged Saeko to a tea shop.</p><p>(AKA, 'do you know if the precinct would be able to hire us a therapist, or is drinking an insane amount of tea an okay alternative?')</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>UCI [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1835515</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Radiance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ellie waited at the bar, leaning against the counter as her heart raced inside her chest. She fiddled with the corners of her receipt while her eyes roved across the paper, not really trying to focus on the words but more-so hoping to find some divination in the way the curves and sharp lines cut across it. </p><p>Honestly, her mind was on something that could very well change her future, depending on how the hunter played her cards tonight, and she<em> had </em>to focus. </p><p>The tea shop had a fairly decent crowd today, the patrons’ chatter no more than a quiet droning in the background that gave the officer a chance to think, with the gentle jazz playing overhead only further perfecting the mood of the Radiance. She spent hours – really, <em>weeks </em>– agonizing over the details, nearly had the entire itinerary memorized, but she couldn’t really predict how the night was going to go; she had a gut feeling, and it was something she was so desperate to accept, even if it seemed foolish after everything they’d been through. </p><p>Another, more rational part of her recognized this could all backfire horribly, and she would be sitting back at square one with the mage – if not somewhere far worse. </p><p>Running a hand through her ginger hair, she turned her attention down to the phone on the counter as it flashed 2:28PM at her. She told Saeko to join her at Radiance at 2:45, but she came almost an hour earlier to make sure everything was paid for and that they would have a quiet part of the restaurant for the better part of the night. </p><p>The last thing she wanted was someone to overhear them. </p><p>So, she’d been playing the waiting game, far too worried to leave and come back to find out Saeko had been waiting for her (and, partially, so nervous that if she left the shop entirely, she wouldn’t come back). </p><p>Picking up her phone and putting it in her purse, Ellie turned to lean against the bar and started watching the people pass by outside the large window opposite from her, absently playing with the hem of her short dress as she stood watch. She tried using the breathing exercises the kids used for their meditation training, forcing the air into her mouth and out through her nose to calm herself down. </p><p>The longer she forced herself to focus on her breathing, the better she began to feel, even if it was only a little bit; it gave her a moment to watch the New Yorkers walking without having to be on duty, almost like watching an ant farm. it wasn’t until recently that the young woman started appreciating what she had in life, so taking a moment to remember that there were nearly nine million other souls in the city was sobering, especially now that the dragon had been dealt with. </p><p>Tilting her head down to stare longingly at her purse, Ellie struggled to prevent herself from checking her phone for any messages from her partner. “Just be patient, Carter,” she whispered to herself, scrunching her nose as she spoke. “He’ll be here.” </p><p>Turning back around to face the rest of the restaurant, the woman tapped her fingers rapidly against the counter as the anxiety continued to run rampant the longer she refused to look at the time. Though there were only a few tables filled with patrons, she still felt like she was under a spotlight as her plans ran through her head. </p><p>The door’s bell jingled, and she had to keep herself from turning around to check if it was the mage. <em>For just one fucking night, calm down, </em>she thought, leaning her forehead against the counter. <em>He’ll be here. </em>The cool countertop helped ground her, stalling the freefalling panic she’d been settling into for the last week. </p><p>Cases had come and gone since she woke up from her magic-induced coma, but the feeling of <em>heaviness </em>drifted along with her. So many questions and fears and thoughts swarmed her mind, and Ellie always felt so fucking guilty for being in the situation in the first place – for making their kids and Dylan and <em>Saeko </em>worry about her, and have to fix her problems yet again. She didn’t want them to be her babysitters, she wanted to be their <em>partners</em>. </p><p>But, she guessed it was just part of the job, being the only unmagical creature in the Minutemen; it just didn’t make her feel any better. </p><p>Struggling to prop herself up, Ellie ran her fingers through her hair once more to get the nervous energy out. “Just tonight, Carter, and everything will be fine,” she told herself, steeling herself. “Don’t... overthink this.” </p><p>Reaching into her purse slowly, the woman pulled out her cellphone and shakily unlocked it. It flashed 2:53PM at her in bright white letters, but there were no new messages waiting for her. </p><p>Sighing frustratedly, Ellie shoved her phone into the purse and cursed at herself quietly.<em> I’m leaving, and I’ll figure out some excuse to give him later, but I can’t wait anymore, </em>she thought, the panic flourishing as she took a few steps toward the door, her heels clicking uncomfortably loud like shotgun blasts as each step sent a tremor through her. <em>I can wait for another day to ask him. </em></p><p>As soon as her hand touched the door, she ripped it open and stepped through, almost walking into Saeko. “Hey, Carter,” he said, giving her a slight wave as he took a step back. “Sorry I’m late, Laurence needed help with making sure Theo and Alex weren’t getting into trouble.” Ellie met him at the threshold of the Radiance, her face burning as she stared at him. </p><p><em> Oh no, is that a new shirt? Why is he wearing a new shirt to something I invited him to? </em>she thought, her eyes stuck directly on his chest as the panic took hold of her. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw him in a suit (albeit, just a nice pair of slacks, suspenders, and a button-down shirt), and it was breaking her brain for a solid minute; for a moment, the hunter wondered if he could see the adrenaline racing through her. Was that how magic even worked? <em>I can't leave if he’s here now, </em>she thought, swallowing hard past the lump in her throat. <em>He’ll think I’m flaking, and then I’ll never be able to show my face around him again. </em> </p><p>Gently, Saeko herded Ellie back into the restaurant, keeping the door open for them as they walked through. “Where did they set us up? Or were you waiting for me before getting a seat?” </p><p>Shaking her head as her brain kept running around in circles, the officer managed to say, “Reservation.” </p><p>“Interesting choice to make a reservation at, then,” the mage replied, humming slightly. “I didn’t even know this place existed. Is it any good?” </p><p>With a half-shrug, Ellie answered, almost on autopilot, “I read some reviews online, and it looked fun.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, to be fair: she came here at least three times over the last few weeks of planning to find out what was the best menu to order from, but she ended up finalizing the decision yesterday. Now, waiting for his reaction was the nerve-wracking part. </p><p>As the two approached the bar once more, one of the employees greeted the two and ushered them upstairs to a separate part of the tea shop, into a booth in the corner. “We hope you enjoy your stay here,” the young man said, giving the two a wide smile before leaving. </p><p>Leaning across the table slightly, the mage whispered, “Don’t we have to order?” </p><p>“I ordered ahead of time,” she replied, waving a hand. “It wasn’t that hard to do.” </p><p>Nodding slowly, he settled back into the seat and stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. “This was an unexpected outing, but I’m grateful you invited me to come with you.” </p><p>Offering him a smile, Ellie shoved her shaking hands underneath her legs to calm herself, feeling her fingers sticking uncomfortably to the leather beneath her. A million thoughts raced inside her head, but she tried squishing them down long enough to manage a somewhat-normal response. “Of course, Saeko. I wouldn’t want anyone else here with me.” </p><p>He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted as a few employees pulled a cart right up beside their table. </p><p>Turning to face them, the mage made small talk with the employees as they settled pastries and a range of teas across the table, placing extra cups and plates at the edge of the table and an extra dessert menu beside the dishware. They kept smiling and laughing the longer they stuck around, but no matter how hard Ellie tried focusing on their conversation, she couldn’t make out what they were saying; her mind was thrown back into the entire reason why she brought him here, and she didn’t want to blurt it out in front of a few strangers. </p><p>She wondered if she looked crazy, staring at the man across the table from her and remaining absolutely silent while the employees worked around her; she sure as Hell<em> felt </em>a little insane. </p><p>Once the employees left, Saeko turned his attention back onto her, and it made her feel like she was living under a microscope. “Shall we dig in, then?” he asked, motioning to the array. </p><p>Swallowing past the lump in her throat, the hunter nodded and leaned over to grab a cup for tea. The less she had to speak, the better Ellie would start to feel. </p><p>They sat in silence for nearly twenty minutes, stuffing their faces and quietly slurping from the tiny cups, Ellie unable to gather the courage to meet his eyes. She half-heartedly wondered what he must’ve thought of this “<em>date</em>.” </p><p>As the employees came back around to take away empty plates and pots, the hunter managed to squeak out a quick ‘thank you’ before they wandered too far away. </p><p>“Ah, so she does speak,” the mage drawled from the other side the booth, taking a long drag from his cup before settling it back down. Ellie squinted at him, gripping the edges of the table a little too harshly. </p><p>“I can speak just fine, thank you very much,” she retorted, frowning slightly. “I just –” She hesitated, then quickly went on to add, “I have nothing to say.” Saeko raised an eyebrow at her. </p><p>“Really?” </p><p>She couldn’t tell if he was smirking or if she was just overly annoyed, but the way his question sounded, Ellie felt riled up. “Yes, <em>really</em>.” He waited for a moment, as if waiting for her to continue speaking, but so far, she couldn't manage to open her mouth and <em>not </em>sound ridiculous, so she remained silent. </p><p>Putting the cup down on the table, Saeko interlocked his fingers as he stared at her. “Ellie, you wouldn’t have gone through the trouble to bring me to a restaurant to have <em>tea </em>if you didn’t have something on your mind.” </p><p>“You don’t know that,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. </p><p>Staring at her with a half-smirk on his face, the consultant shot back, “Well, to start, I know you <em>hate </em>tea.” Ellie grumbled, rolling her eyes as he continued, “And I know for a fact you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a dress that short unless it was something business-related.” </p><p>Frowning, she leaned back into the booth and sighed. “That obvious?” He simply nodded, taking another long drag from his cup as he waited for her to continue. It was the same expression he had whenever she was explaining a new case – <em>patient</em>, despite anything she might stumble over or forget – and it gave her some confidence back. </p><p>So, she took in a slow, deep breath, and began. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is (hopefully) going to be spoiler-free for the Chronicles of a Hunter series. It's mostly just an after credits thing, except the credits rolled halfway through the movie?</p><p>Oh well, lol. Since this little blurb won't really have any impact on the story itself, I feel safe sharing it now. I'll post the other half sometime down the road, since that part WILL be more spoiler-y. If you haven't had the chance, go read my other story about these idiots lol.</p><p>Hope y'all enjoy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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